The Winning Hand by Nora Roberts Read Free Book Online Page B

winced. “He was very patient with me.” A laugh bubbled up and was partially swallowed. “The former attorney general of the United States is my lawyer. It’s so odd. He said he would take care of things—my birth certificate, the red tape. He didn’t seem to think it would take very long.”
    “MacGregors have a way of moving things along.”
    “I’ve read so much about your family.” Darcy accepted the leather-bound menu absently. “Your grandfather’s a legend.”
    “He loves hearing that. What he is, is a character. You’d like him.”
    “Really? What kind of a character?”
    How did one describe Daniel MacGregor? Mac wondered. “An outrageous one. Big, loud, bold. A Scotsman who built an empire on grit and sweat and shrewdness. He sneaks cigars—or my grandmother lets him believe he’s sneaking them. He’ll skin you at poker. Nobody bluffs better. He has an amazing heart, strong and soft. For him, family comes first and last and always.”
    “You love him.”
    “Very much.” Because he thought she’d enjoy it, he told her of how a young, brash Daniel had come to Boston looking for a wife, had set his eyes on Anna Whitfield and, tumbling into love, had wooed and won her.
    “She must have been terribly brave, becoming a doctor. There were so many obstacles for a woman.”
    “She’s amazing.”
    “And you have brothers? Sisters?”
    “One brother, two sisters, assorted cousins, nephews, nieces. When we get together it’s … an asylum,” he decided, making her laugh.
    “And you wouldn’t change it for the world.”
    “No, I wouldn’t.”
    She opened her menu. “I always wondered what it would be like to— Oh my. Look at all this. How does anyone decide what to order?”
    “What do you like?”
    She looked up, gold eyes sparkling. “Everything.”

    She sampled all she could manage. Tureen of duck, wild greens, little salmon puffs topped with caviar. Unable to resist, Mac scooped up some of his own stuffed lobster and held the fork to her lips. Her eyes closed, a quiet moan rippled in her throat, her lips rubbed gently together. And his blood flashed hot.
    He’d never known a woman so open to sensual pleasure, or so obviously new to it. She’d be a treasure in bed, absorbing, lingering over every touch, every taste, every movement.
    He could imagine it clearly—much too clearly—the little sighs and murmurs, the awakenings.
    She gave one of those little sighs now as her long lids opened slowly over dreamy eyes. “It’s wonderful. Everything’s wonderful.”
    It was all flowing through her, mind and body, soft lights, strong flavors, the froth of wine and the look of him. She found herself leaning forward. “You’re so attractive. You have such a strong face. I love looking at it.”
    From another woman it would have been an invitation. From her, Mac reminded himself, it was a combination of wine and naiveté. “Where do you come from?”
    “Kansas.” She smiled. “That’s not what you meant, is it? I have no finesse,” she confessed. “And when I relax, I tend to say things that pop into my head. I’m usually nervous around men. I never know what to say.”
    He arched a brow. “Obviously I don’t make you nervous. That’s my ego you hear thudding at your feet.”
    She chuckled, shaking her head. “Women are always going to fantasize about men like you. But you don’t make me nervous, because I know you don’t think of me that way.”
    “Don’t I?”
    “Men don’t.” She gestured with her glass before sipping. “Men aren’t quickly attracted to women who aren’t particularly physically appealing. Willowy blondes,” she continued, eyeing his plate and wondering how to ask for another bite. “Sultry brunettes, glamorous redheads. Attention focuses on them, it’s only natural. And strongly attractive men are drawn to strongly attractive women. At leastinitially.”
    “You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
    “I like to watch people, and how they circle